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AKRON, Iowa (AP) - Akron City Council has voted to support the mayor’s decision to terminate the city’s former assistant police chief, who was fired earlier this month for unknown reasons.

The City Council backed Mayor Sharon Frerichs’ decision to terminate Phillip Torrey in a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, the Sioux City Journal (https://bit.ly/1XW9k4t ) reports.

City Attorney David Stuart said the vote was a courtesy to residents who may have had questions about the termination process. He says the mayor has the power to fire city employees, but that the city typically brings personnel changes before the council for transparency’s sake.

“In this case with the mayor being the overseer of the police department and having the authority to one appoint and dismiss, it was certainly in her power to do the termination,” Stuart said.

Torrey says he was called to a special meeting April 15 at City Hall, where he was told to resign immediately or he would be terminated that day. He declined to resign.

“I could not bring myself to resign at that April 15 meeting,” Torrey said. “It has been a pleasure serving this community.”

Torrey’s attorney, Jason Cook, said that the issue with the dismissal was the process, which didn’t include any meaningful discussion or explanation. He said this sometimes occurs in smaller cities.

“People are right to have those concerns,” Cook said.

Torrey said he had hoped the council would’ve reinstated him. He doesn’t have immediate plans for the future.